1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a dispensing assembly including a finger actuated vertically disposed pump attached to a noncylindrical container with the spray nozzle of the pump oriented in the same direction as the major transverse axis of the container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Finger actuated, hand-held, vertically oriented reciprocating pumps have found increasing use in recent years for dispensing numerous products either in the form of a fine spray or a stream from hand-held dispensing containers. A large number of various types of commercial finger actuated reciprocating pumps are used in dispensing products from packages of personal use items such as colognes, lotions, skin conditioners, and of household items, such as glass cleaners, insecticides, spot removers, rug cleaners, bathroom cleaners, and many other household commodities. Additionally these finger pumps are used to dispense products used in the automotive market i.e., vinyl roof cleaners, vinyl roof protective coating, rubber conditioners, upholster cleaners, tire cleaners, degreasers, etc.
Generally the commercial finger pumps offered in the present day commercial market are equipped with conventional continuous thread caps which attach the pump to the conventional continuous threaded neck of the container in which the particular product is packaged. In cases where the product is packaged in the cylindrical, "Boston Round" type bottle the free turning actuator buttons with side directed spray nozzles or discharge tubes used on conventional pumps has been adequate since no orientation of the actuator button is needed in connection with the container since it has a uniformed diameter. Cylindrical containers are generally safisfactory for use with vertical finger pumps as long as the container is of a modest size which can be easily gripped by the hand of an adult. However, many products are offered to the consumer market in containers which are generally described as "ovals" which are non-cylindrical i.e., the container has a major and a minor radius resulting from the container having a generally flat front and back surface with narrow sides. This permits larger volume containers to be utilized. In utilizing oval or non-cylindrical containers in connection with vertical finger actuated pumps there has been a problem of orienting the axis of the side directed spray nozzle of the finger pump with the major diametrical or radial axis of the oval or non-cylindrical container so that when the consumer grasps the container the spray nozzle will be directed in the same direction as the major radial axis of the container. Heretofore there has not been any readily satisfactory commercial mode for assuring that the axis of the pump spray nozzle will coincide with the major radial axis of the container. Generally, after the product container is filled, the pump is placed on the container and a mechanical device is used to torque the threaded closure cap on to the threaded neck of the container. Vertically aligned finger pumps generally have free rotating dispenser actuator members so that the side directed spray nozzle or delivery tube as the case may be, will not be oriented in any specific direction unless the user makes a special effort to align the spray nozzle in a particular direction.
Another desirable feature to incorporate into a finger pump dispenser package is the provision of child-resistant closure devices for prevention of the removal of the pump from the container by juveniles. While there are numerous child resistant closures available commercially, one such closure which is receiving increasing commercial acceptance is a safety closure described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 161,130 filed June 19, 1980, now abandoned in favor of continuation application Ser. No. 312,804 filed Oct. 19, 1981, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,817 issued June 6, 1983, which is owned by the assignee of the present application. This closure utilizes a plurality of barbed short lug threads on the cap to engaged recesses on longer interrupted threads provided on the container neck. However, to date such child resistant closures have only been utilized in solid top caps for general utility in the packaging market wherein no other devices are required to be attached to the closure member. The disclosure of the above noted patent application is incorporated herein by reference.
One of the more successful vertically reciprocating finger pumps presently utilized in commercial product dispensers is the finger pump shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,306,479. This finger pump is attached to the container by a body piece having spiral threads on its skirt portion. A cylindrical cover piece is mounted on the body piece and is freely rotatable thereon. The cover piece surrounds the side directed actuator button having a nozzle that projects through a vertical slot in the cover piece. Thus the nozzle must be oriented away from the user each time the pump is used by rotating the cover piece.
Pumps of the types shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,065,036 and 4,071,173 provide child-resistant features preventing children from operating the actuator button to dispense product from the pump, however the pump is attached to the container with regular threads which makes it possible for a child to unscrew the pump from the container and to imbibe the contents of the container which may be toxic or deleterious to the child's health.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,067 discloses a dispensing pump for containers which utilizes a trigger pump that is attached to the container neck by a plurality of latching dogs spaced around the lip of the container which engage a like number of matching lugs provided on the interior of the skirt of the closure member. However, the closure member requires an interior auxiliary wedging skirt to fit a specially designed slopping inner wall of the container neck to be compatible and fit closely therewith. Additionally, the disclosure of this patent does not provide any solution to the problem of orienting the nozzle of the dispensing pump with the major transverse axis of an oval container.
In view of the present state of the art in reciprocating finger pump dispensing devices it can be seen that there is a need to provide a finger pump-container combination to provide for the automatic orientation of the pump discharge nozzle during the assembly of the pump to the container on the product filling line so that the nozzle is parallel with the major axis of the container. Additionally, there is a need to provide a finger pump-container combination wherein the finger pump is attached to the container with a closure means having a child resistant feature which will prevent the removal of the pump from the container by a child and possible injestion of any harmful material in the product container.